$100 Laptop to Come from China

At the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Germany, (August 29-September 3), Chinese hardware vendor HiVision showcased a Linux laptop that is to cost a mere $98.

The dream of Professor Nicholas Negroponte, founder of MIT's Media Lab, had been a $100 computer for children in developing countries. His dream became the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative, also known as the Hundred-Dollar-Laptop project. No one up to now has been able to meet this goal, but it sparked a trend toward developing smaller and more affordable machines.

It seems now that a Chinese company, HiVision, has stepped up to make the $100 magic number a reality.Based in Shenzhen, the firm is known for its digital displays and Ultra Mobile Laptops (UMPCs) sold in 40 countries worldwide. At the IFA, they presented a Linux-based laptop currently selling for $120 and expect to enter the market with a model NB0700 in October having a reduced price of $98, according to the Techvideoblog hardware portal.

From Chinese vendor HiVision, a $98 laptop.

At first glance the features of the super-affordable device with a 7-inch monitor are comparable to those of competitors Asus EeePC and Aspire One. Corresponding with HiVision's claims, their machine should com with a Via C7-processor, at IFA the test machine was presented with a V MIPS processor. Standard features for the HiVision laptop include WiFi and Ethernet, 512 RAM, three USB ports, an SDHC card reader, and an integrated speaker and mic. The device weighs in at 32 oz. inclusive of the 3-hour lifespan rechargeable battery. According to their website Windows XP and Vista versions are also promised. Along with its diminutive model, the company will also be producing ones with 8, 9, or 10-inch monitors.

Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo has announced that it will be cooperating with Novell for various models of its Thinkpad business laptop series with Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 pre-installed.

Hardware provider Hewlett-Packard has released a Linux version for its mini-laptop. HP wants to be clear from the outset that disabling the Linux command line interface in the product is not an act of heresy.